joe haggerty

Bergeron Comes Full Circle

Patrice Bergeron doesn’t even really like talking about it anymore, the hit that nearly ended his hockey career.

It was a borderline act of puck cowardice masquerading as a hit by Randy Jones of the McFilthy and McNasty Philadelphia Flyers that went down on that fateful date of Oct. 27, 2007, and ended Bergeron’s fourth NHL season last year after only 10 games.

The hit pulled away something that Bergeron loved dearly, and life simply became a set of simple benchmarks allowing the Quebec native to walk, run, skate and then finally score again – an accomplishment he finally achieved last night in his seventh game of the season when he notched a redirect goal at the 15:28 mark of the first period. The score came nearly a year to the day after he was carted out of the Garden on a stretcher with a host of uncertainties already gnawing at him.

“Everything was about getting back at it to play hockey, have fun and play with passion,” said Bergeron. “Obviously scoring goals is a part of it.

“I don’t really look at it that way,” added Bergeron when asked if the first goal since suffering the concussion was any more profound than the other 72 lamp-lighters in his NHL career. “I just view it as the first goal of the season. It’s behind me and now I can look forward.”

The crushing blow-from-behind last October very nearly ended his professional hockey career due to the severe Grade III concussion, broken nose and post-concussion syndrome aftermath. The hit left the then 22-year-old with the appearance of an eerie apparition during a November press conference that featured Bergeron discussing his inability to do the simple things like drive himself around and go for a walk.

The last image from that arduous epoch in Bergeron’s life was of a young professional athlete – seemingly at the pinnacle of his vitality and effectiveness as a National Hockey League player – appearing haggard and beaten with a collared neck brace wrapped around him like an albatross of weakness.

But all of that seemed more like a freakish, fleeting nightmare than reality when Bergeron showed up for captain’s practice in September. Memories of his weakness disappeared completely when he started flashing the offensive and defensive skills and innate hockey sense that made him an 18-year-old puck prodigy in Boston during his rookie season in 2003-2004.

His teammates got to see the progression during training camp from an understandably hesitant skater to the up-and-comer who has rattled off a pair of 70-plus point seasons in his young career.

“I happened to be in the stands during the first preseason game in Halifax (this season) and it’s been amazing just to see the development from that first game,” said Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, who has been teammates with Bergeron for parts of four seasons. “That first exhibition period he was a little hesitant and wasn’t putting everything on his passes, you know?

“Then all of the sudden in the second period he starts to make crisp passes like he used to do, and then by the third period he was flying around like he always does.”

It’s ironic that Bergeron’s breakthrough last night transpired nearly a year to the day after his hockey career nearly expired on the TD Banknorth Garden ice, but there was no irony about the manner in which the goal was scored. It was a purely Bergeron-like display of grit and skill as he entered the danger areas of the ice to redirect a Shane Hnidy shot from the right point, tipping it past Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala.

The Bruins lost Bergeron’s goal-scoring party by a 3-2 score and spurned coach Claude Julien on to a justified rant about the lack of effort in a listless October hockey game, but the lone bright spot on everyone’s mind amid a locker room full of missed opportunities was Bergeron’s tally.

“Unfortunately we didn’t come through for him, but it’s great that he got that first goal in a timely manner and hopefully it’s a precursor of good things to come,” said B’s defenseman Aaron Ward. “Now he’s back. There was pressure there for things to fall into place quickly for him, and it’s good to see him end all of that.”

It was almost comical to view the reaction that some had watching the 23-year-old shake off the rust in the first handful of games this season after nearly an entire year away from competitive hockey. Some wondered if he had left a little something behind when he was knocked unconscious on the Garden ice, but those on the team who watched Bergeron get involved offensively and defensively clearly knew the truth.

Bergie was back.

A handful of players who worked out with Bergeron over the summer in Quebec marveled at the ferocity that Bergeron displayed in throwing himself back into the game he’s been in love with since he was a little boy. When it didn’t all come back in the first few games, people began to wonder when Bergeron would notch that first goal and perhaps even whispered that the kid didn’t have the same fire he’d burned with before.

Perhaps something as simple as breaking the goal-scoring seal will ignite the notion that he’s averaging nearly a point per game (one goal and five assists in seven games) this season. The scoring rate is in line with exactly what Bergeron has done throughout his entire career, and is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the now-healthy center’s long-range puck potential.

“It’s been great seeing him get more comfortable,” said Thomas. “Now – and I don’t mean this in the wrong way but I mean this in the right way – he’s just another player on the team. That’s exactly where he wanted to be, so I feel really good for him.”

The game is back on for Bergeron, and all the questions were answered long before he raised his arms in celebratory exultation last night.

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